Captiva [Large Print] (Hardcover)

However, anyone who thinks that these books are about Doc Ford and his adventures is wrong. Doc is a great central character, and his adventures are great reads. But Mr. White is ultimately not writing about Doc or his adventures. His central character is Florida itself, and the stories he writes provide vehicles for him to explore this magical place in greater and greater depth.

As a fishing guide himself, Mr. White knows Florida and it's evident in the care he takes to put the reader inside the skin of his characters. There's just no way to read a Doc Ford novel without feeling the oppressive heat or swarms of mosquitos, or getting a sense that you could actually dip your fingers into the waters of Dinkins Bay if you wanted. And this is the thing I love most about Mr. White's novels. You get to pretend, just for a little while, that you're actually living in Florida, running a skiff over the flats or casting a fly rod under the mango trees.

The plot of this particular story? It's about a brewing war between net fishermen and other groups who have voted to restrict net fishing in Florida. Acts of sabotage are happening up and down the coast, and the story opens with a bomb being set off at Dinkins Bay itself. Doc and his buddy Tomlinson do a bit of investigating and both become entangled with a lady who lives in a net fishing community and is one of the focal points of the conflict. In the course of this story, Doc falls deeply for this lady and we also see some very bad things happen to Tomlinson. Tomlinson's plight brings out the old NSA version of Doc, and we get a window into the life he used to lead when he worked for the government.

This book has one of the most clever and satisfying 'revenge moments' I've read when Doc finally confronts the main villain and we see him get what's coming to him. I laughed out loud when I figured out how Doc had gotten even with this person. Probably the best Doc Ford moment I've read so far.

This book rates 5 stars, both because I love Doc Ford and because I love Florida. As long as Randy Wayne White is writing, I don't much care what the plot is because I know it's going to take me where I want to be...the languid waters of Florida where the days are for fishing and the nights are for relaxing on the shore with a beer and a few good friends.

I can hear the Jimmy Buffett music playing in the background right now....